


The Doctor

by RedTeamShark



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Author Chose Not To Tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-01
Updated: 2014-04-13
Packaged: 2019-09-06 10:13:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16830589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedTeamShark/pseuds/RedTeamShark
Summary: Ray Narvaez Jr. wasn’t anything special. Worked a dead-end job, didn’t have many friends, only real hobby was playing video games. But, for a short time, he was everything to the mysterious man in the blue box.





	1. The Doctor

**Author's Note:**

> Proper warnings, tags, etc, may come in the future. For the time being I'm frantically transferring my content to a stable platform amidst growing concerns about tumblr's inevitable implosion.
> 
> Apologies for flooding the fandom page.

_Beep beep beep_

Ray groaned, rolling over and slapping at his alarm clock. He pulled the clock towards his face rather than putting on his glasses to see the red digital numbers, starting and nearly falling out of bed. Only a careful flailing of his arms kept him in balance as he struggled to escape his blankets and get out of bed in one motion.

“What the fuck!” He cried, shaking the clock as if it would change the numbers. He _knew_ he’d set it for earlier than that… unless he’d reset it—

Of course. Because he’d been up too late playing Call of Duty again, so had reset the alarm. But sleep deprivation meant a slip of the fingers, meant he was going to be late for work. He had fifteen minutes to make the twenty minute walk to the store. And he was still in his boxers.

Cursing, Ray hurried through the act of getting dressed, scooping clothes from the floor and giving them a cursory sniff to make sure they were clean. He’d have to skip the shower and hope that he was okay for the day. Stumbling into the bathroom of his small apartment, he scrambled a toothbrush into his mouth, rubbing it against his teeth with his tongue as he put on some deodorant and tried to flatten his hair into something that didn’t look like bedhead. Good enough. He spat, dropping the toothbrush back into the glass and giving himself the once-over in the mirror. His t-shirt was on backwards. He fixed it as he stumbled down the hall for the front door, jamming his feet into his sneakers and stuffing his keys and wallet into his pockets.

Cell phone. Reopen the front door. Another mad scramble to his bedroom, lifting the mobile device from his desk and cramming it into his pocket. His stomach growled in protest and he snagged a banana off the counter, reminding himself to throw away the rest of the bunch that night. They were starting to brown.

Front door locked behind him, clothed and with a breakfast in hand, he was ready for work. Ray scrambled down the three flights of stairs, forgoing the slow elevator even though he preferred it to physical activity. Out the lobby doors and into the rush of Manhattan crowds.

Crowded streets, the streets were always crowded and Ray hated it, hated the way people pushed against him, the way he had to fight for every inch of sidewalk. Today was worse, it seemed that everyone was going the opposite direction as him and even for New York, a city where if it wasn’t happening to you, it wasn’t happening at all, people seemed to be almost intentionally crashing into him. Every time he would go to sidestep a hurrying businessman or a mother dragging along a child, he’d step into the path of someone else. It was almost two in the afternoon (inching closer and closer to the time, bringing him closer and closer to being late for work), hardly a rush time, but the streets were crowded like it was seven in the morning or five at night.

Someone grabbed onto his arm, a woman with wide blue eyes and frazzled blonde hair. “Did you see it?!” She shrieked at him, her eyes rolling first left, then right. “Aliens are coming to Earth!”

“I bet they are.” Ray agreed, carefully shrugging out of her grip, shaking his head as she ran off down the street. Even the crazies were out in full force today, it seemed.

He crossed the street without looking up, assured that the light was in his favor by the flow of pedestrian traffic. His eyes darted upwards at the other side, checking the bank clock. Rather than displaying the time, it only displayed four blinking red lines. Ray frowned, shrugging it off and checking his watch. Exactly 2 P.M. He was officially late for work.

Picking up speed as much as he could in the crowd, Ray approached the next intersection, stepping off the sidewalk and onto the street below. Just before he could move into the road completely, a hand grabbed his elbow, yanking him backwards. “Whoa there!” A voice called, barely heard over the sound of a car passing inches from where he’d been about to step. “Better watch your step.”

Ray glanced over his shoulder, giving the tall, dark-haired man that had grabbed him a slight nod. “Uh, thanks? You can let go now.” He shrugged out of the firm grip, turning back to wait for the light. People were still crossing the street, and now he noticed that all of them were moving towards him. He glanced up at the traffic light, blinking and rubbing his eyes quickly. The cross signal was showing both “Walk” and “Don’t Walk”—and both signs were blinking. Glancing to his right, he saw that the traffic light was lit up with all three colors and also blinking. “What the fuck…”

“Weird, isn’t it?” A surprisingly cheerful voice next to him asked. Ray looked over his shoulder, noting that it was the guy who had pulled him out of the street. “Something this big, oh, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Not any world in the whole wide universe.” He offered his hand, Ray startled into shaking it. “I’m the Doctor.”

“Uh, I’m Ray?” The bespectacled young man offered, wincing as his arm was suddenly twisted.

“Ah, you’ve got a watch, good! All the clocks go down, it’s sort of hard to know just when the moment is.” The guy continued, releasing his hand and pointing up the street, back the way Ray had come. “There, between the buildings, you’ll see them land. It’s 2013 in New York City and aliens have come to Earth.” The guy grinned widely and Ray took a careful step backwards.

“Uh, right… Well, I should be getting to work…”

“Why watch it on TV, though, when you can see it in person, Ray?” The guy stuffed his hands into the pockets of his oversized hooded sweatshirt, rocking slightly on the balls of his feet. “Just keep watching up the street. About ten seconds now, if your watch is right.”

Ray’s gaze turned up the street, his eyes widening as… something, something big, something like he’d only ever seen in video games and movies before passed between two buildings. His jaw loosened, mouth hanging agape as he watched the space, a second thing passing and then a third and a fourth. Or maybe it was one thing making several passes. He couldn’t tell. His attention returned to the man behind him and he blinked rapidly several times.

“Were those really fucking aliens?”

“Uh-huh, aliens. Carpathos, to be exact. Really friendly folk, love throwing parties. Oh, the parties, the parties that last all night and—“ The guy’s wide smile suddenly vanished and, distantly, Ray heard screaming. “Well… that’s not supposed to happen. Today’s July 27th, isn’t it?”

Ray looked back up the street, his eyes widening as he saw black smoke and flames shooting into the sky, people turning around, sprinting away from the area. Ray stumbled in the crowd, momentarily losing his balance. He stepped down into the street, surprised to see the man that had been talking to him jogging up the pavement. “Where are you going?!”

“To figure out what’s wrong!” The guy called over his shoulder, turning around and running backwards, his hands still in his pockets. “Want to come with me?”

Hesitating for just a moment, Ray looked over his shoulder. He glanced at his watch. Fuck it, he was already late for work and if there was an alien invasion on, it wasn’t like he was going to be selling video games to people. He looked up, seeing the guy grinning and offering his hand again, and ran to catch up with him. His hand fit comfortably into the stranger’s, the two of them running up the street together.

Maybe he should have hesitated to run off to an alien invasion with a guy he just met. But he was the first person to look at Ray like he mattered in a long time. That might have clouded his judgment a bit.

“See, here’s the thing.” The guy began as they moved up the street, weaving between cars that had been abandoned. “Carpathos are peaceful. Friendly. They like people. Oh, they adore humans. Think you’re all just so cute. They don’t have any reason to attack, and they’re not supposed to attack. So something’s wrong.” He paused, looking up and down the cross streets. “Of course, they’re also defensive. If humanity declares war on the Carpathos, they’ll… oh, oh this is very, _very_ bad.”

“So, uh, you’re on some good drugs, huh?” Ray questioned, smiling just a little. This guy was clearly a nutjob, but it beat being yelled at for being late to work.

“Nope. No drugs. I’m just clever.” He pulled something from his hoodie pocket as they approached a line of police officers that were keeping people back from the worst of the damage, holding it up. “Special Agent Joel Heyman and his lovely assistant, UNIT Task Force. Mind letting us through?” Ray watched in surprise as the officers moved aside, letting the two of them through. His eyes widened further as he got a glimpse of the paper.

“That paper’s blank.” He noted in a low voice, shaking his head. “Why would they let us through with blank paper?”

“Psychic paper, says what you want it to. Useful for situations like… this…” The guy’s voice trailed off, brown eyes wide as he looked around. “Well, this is… unique.” He stepped backwards, pulling Ray with him as a group of men and women in military-style clothing passed by. “Looks like we’re not the only ones excited for the party, Ray.”

Their hands were still locked and Ray pulled his away, flushing slightly. “So, uh, your name’s Joel?”

“Nah, that’s just a name I made up. Like I said, I’m the Doctor.”

Ray rolled his eyes. “Right, that makes sense. Anyways, what do we do now?”

“Well…” The guy’s hands went back into the pocket of his hoodie, as he leaned against the wall. “We watch.”

“That’s it? You snuck us in here just to watch?” He was incredulous, though he leaned over to get a closer look.

“UNIT’s already here, they’re the experts. Them and Torchwood. I just came for the show, honestly. Maybe the Carpathos had a reason to feel threatened… I thought they were going to call ahead, though, inform world leaders that they were here in peace… It’s so weird, isn’t it?”

“Sure, if you say so.” Ray glanced up at the guy, offering a tentative return smile to his grin. “So… can we get closer?”

The guy—Joel or the Doctor or whatever—tilted his head back, closing his eyes in thought. Then he locked eyes with Ray again, grinning. “Sure, why not? I don’t think anyone will mind.” He offered his hand again, Ray taking it easily, the two of them moving closer.

“Excuse me!” A female voice called, a woman marching up to them as the pair turned. “This area is off limits for civilians at the moment. We’re asking everyone to return to their homes.”

“Oh, it’s fine.” The Doctor shook his head, squeezing Ray’s hand lightly. “We’re just going to look, we won’t be in the way at all.”

“I really have to insist that you return to your home. No civilians are being allowed here just now.” She nodded, gesturing them back towards the barriers the police were setting up.

“Then it’s a good thing we’re not civilians, huh?”

The woman paused, frowning slightly. “Who are you, then, if not civilians? Where’s your paperwork?”

“Oh, well, we don’t have any paperwork—“ Ray swallowed, noting the way her hand dropped to her gun “—but I’m the Doctor. And this is Ray.” The Doctor nodded towards him slightly.

Her eyes widened at that comment, looking between the two of them. “Doctor.” She stood up straighter, saluting. “My apologies, we still aren’t quite sure what you look like… If you’ll come with me.” She paused, glancing towards Ray. “Unfortunately, he does need to leave.”

“Hey, wait a minute.” The Doctor shook his head. “First off, don’t salute me, that’s weird. Second, as I said, we’re just here to watch. I’ll keep us out of trouble.”

Another man was jogging over to them, wearing a uniform decorated with medals. “Tuggey, what’s the hold-up? No civilians on-site, you know the rules!” He called, stopping next to the woman.

“Sir.” She stood up straight again, saluting. “I’m aware, sir. But this man is the Doctor, sir.”

The medaled man turned, blinking a few times before standing at attention and snapping off a salute. “Doctor.” His eyes moved up and down the man next to Ray, a slightly concerned frown on his face. “With respect, if you could prove your statement.”

The Doctor sighed, shaking his head. “Michael ‘Burnie’ Burns, we first met at a Del Taco in downtown Los Angeles and I think that’s about as much detail as you want revealed about that night.” To Ray’s surprise, the man in front of him flushed slightly, waving away the woman with the gun.

“It’s good to see you, Doctor. Who’s this?”

“I’m—“ Ray started, feeling the Doctor’s hand squeeze his again. He glanced up, returning the smile he saw before facing the medaled man again. “Ray Narvaez Jr.”

“Junior. Cute.” He flushed, apparently the only one that heard the Doctor’s murmured comment. The medaled man looked him over, before seeming to dismiss him outright.

“Doctor, we’re not sure what’s going on here, to be frank. We received a message this morning stating that the…” He consulted his PDA, frowning slightly. “The Carpathos sent a message through Torchwood that they passed on to us to distribute. They’d be coming to New York City, specifically the United Nations building, today at 2 P.M. local time. In peace. They specifically said they were coming to us with peaceful intentions. We had no defenses in place—“

“No defenses?” The Doctor repeated, a frown furrowing his brow. “Not a single person with a gun anywhere near the United Nations building?”

“Nothing planned, no. We broadcast it everywhere, aliens had made contact and were coming, they were peaceful, everyone was encouraged to look towards the United Nations plaza at around two in the afternoon if they wanted to see humanity take our first steps into a wider world. And then this attack.”

“Did anyone act hostile towards them?”

“We didn’t even interact with them. They came from the sky, fired on us, and just left. The generals are meeting now.” The man frowned, shaking his head. “They’re going to have to declare war, for the sake of humanity.”

“No. No no no, you can’t do that.” The Doctor released Ray’s hand, waving his arms. “If you declare war on the Carpathos, they’ll come here en masse and destroy you. Burnie, you get in touch with everyone you can and you pass on the word. The Doctor says not to declare war.” His hand found Ray’s again, squeezing tightly. “Ray and I are going to take a look around while you do that.”

“I’ll do what I can, Doctor, but the decision is ultimately out of my hands.”

The Doctor looked over his shoulder, grinning again. “Plenty of people owe you favors, though. Use them.” His smile dissolved, face serious. “For the sake of humanity, use them.”

Ray followed as the Doctor walked off, looking around with wide eyes. “So… you’re not a crazy person, huh?”

“Depends on your definition of crazy, but all of this is definitely happening. Why would the Carpathos attack, though? That doesn’t make any sense at all. Weird.” He paused, releasing Ray’s hand as he crouched next to some rubble, fingers sifting through it. Reaching into his hoodie pocket again, the Doctor pulled out a cylindrical metal item, a blue light and a strange buzzing noise coming from it. “Traces of…” He leaned closer, sniffing at the rubble before licking his dirtied fingertips. “Yuck. That’s Carpathos lasers, alright.” Ray took a step back as the Doctor got to his feet, lifting an eyebrow.

“What’s it taste like?”

“Sand.” He made a face, sticking his tongue out and sighing. “Any ideas?”

“Uh… they lied?” Ray shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets self-consciously. “You’re the one that seems to be the expert. Even that general or whatever was listening to you.”

“Colonel. I think, anyways. Not sure if Burnie’s gotten a promotion since the last time I saw him, or if that hasn’t happened yet.” He shrugged, putting the thing back into his pocket and offering Ray his hand again. “See, here’s the thing though. You’re human, Ray. You have the human perspective, the view from this corner of the universe that no other species has. I’m clever, but you’re human, and that makes the difference.”

“You talk like you’re not human.” Ray noted with a small laugh, letting himself be led further into the rubble.

“Oh, well, I’m not.” The Doctor shrugged, matter-of-fact, unaware of Ray’s slack jawed surprise. “The ships should be making contact again, we need to find somewhere to watch the transmission. Ever been inside the U.N.?”

“Uh, no.” Ray shifted, looking around. “I’ve never been, could never afford the payment for the school trips.”

“Well, I’ll pay your way this time.” The Doctor offered him a smile, stepping up to some armed guards and pulling Ray just a bit closer. “Hi, I’m the Doctor and this is Ray. We’ll be heading inside now.”

The two men at the entrance exchanged a glance, before hesitantly stepping aside. Ray let himself be led in, looking around with wide eyes. He scooted just a bit closer to the Doctor, following him through the rushing crowds, their hands still clasped together. The Doctor paused, looking around before pulling the weird device from his hoodie again, flashing it at a monitor. “There we go. Now we’re into their signal reception.”

“What is that thing that you keep using?”

Turning to him, the Doctor offered another grin. “Sonic Screwdriver. Wonderful little tool. Made it myself.” The thing disappeared into his pocket again, his attention on the monitor. “They’ll send a message, they’ll have to. You don’t just attack another planet without declaring your intentions, not unless you’re…” He paused, looking back to Ray with wide eyes. “No, no that can’t be it. Tell me that can’t be it, Ray.”

“Uh, that can’t be it?” Ray nearly jumped out of his skin when the Doctor jumped up, laughing slightly and nodding.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so. This isn’t like them at all. Hey, are you hungry? We could get some lunch while we’re waiting.”

Ray’s stomach growled and judging from the widening grin on the Doctor’s face, he heard it. “I, uh, I probably couldn’t afford anything that’s here, though. I mean—“

“Hey, none of that. Like I said, I’ll pay your way. What do you like?” The Doctor led him off, apparently having completely forgotten about waiting for a message to come in.

“I dunno, pizza? I don’t know what kind of food they even serve at the U.N.” Ray followed along, again sticking close to the man’s side. Crazy or not, at least he seemed to move through the crowd as if he belonged there.

“I would imagine anything. Pizza it is, though. New York’s great for pizza, only place I’ve ever had better was in New New New New New New Old New New York.” Ray shook his head, sure that the guy was just babbling nonsense. They stepped up to a counter, the Doctor coughing to get the attention of the server. He turned away from the television screen, blinking.

“Two slices of pepperoni pizza and two sodas, please.” The Doctor grinned, handing over some cash and taking the food and drinks. Ray took one of each from him, following him over to a table.

“Well, at least I’m not the only one who thinks you’re crazy…” He muttered, taking a seat and beginning to eat his pizza. “Holy shit, this is actually really good.”

“Like I said, only one place in all of time and space that has better pizza than New York.” The Doctor grinned, though Ray almost choked on his soda.

“ _Time_ and space? So you’re… what, an alien from the future?” He asked, coughing and wiping his mouth.

“And the past. And right now. I travel through time. Thought I’d come to Earth when you guys made first contact, but now things are weird. You’ve got sauce on your chin.” He reached over, wiping the sauce off Ray’s chin with his napkin. “Cute.”

“Those guys from UNIT or whatever seemed to know you.”

“I’ve been to Earth a few times before.” The Doctor agreed, eating his pizza and drinking his soda. “You ever think you’d be in the middle of the United Nations on the day Earth meets a race from another planet, Ray?”

“I never thought I’d be in the middle of the United Nations.” He admitted, setting down his soda and looking at the table. “I’m no one special. I work at a video game store with no real potential in the job. The only thing I’m good at is playing video games. Hell, except to walk to work I don’t go outside. All my friends are just people I know online.” He muttered, picking up his pizza and taking another bite.

“Nah.” The Doctor grinned, looking him up and down. “You caught my eye, and that means that you’re very special. I bet you’re brilliant, too.”

“Not really. Barely passed high school.” He shook his head, taking another drink of soda.

“School doesn’t measure brilliance. Trust me.” The Doctor reached over, patting his hand lightly. “And it doesn’t measure how special you are.”

“Why’d you ask me to come along?” Ray asked suddenly, looking down and setting his lunch aside. “Why me, out of everyone on the street?”

“Because you’re cute.” The Doctor laughed a little at his incredulous look, shrugging. “That and you weren’t going the way everyone else was. Makes you stand out. Makes you special. Like I said, you caught my eye and that means you’re special. I travel at will through all of time and space, so if something makes me look twice…” The Doctor leaned closer, lowering his voice slightly. “If something makes me look twice, then it’s a very special and important something.”

Ray’s cheeks were red, his eyes on the table in front of him. His mouth was dry, his brain felt like it was full of cotton. What was he supposed to say to that? How was he supposed to react to some guy (some very weird, very handsome, apparently alien guy) telling him that he was special and important?

He was saved having to answer by a blaring alarm. The Doctor’s hand found his again, pulling him from his chair, the two of them moving from the food court back to the terminal. A message was coming in from one of the ships. Ray stood close to the Doctor, glad to have a hand holding his as the screen turned to static before a fuzzy, dark image came through.

“Pathetic humans.” A booming voice came from the speaker next to the monitor, from speakers all over the room. “You shall perish at the hand of the mighty Carpathos!”

The ground below them shook, someone screamed, and around them the world exploded.

Ray felt arms wrap around him, was pressed into the fabric of the Doctor’s hooded sweatshirt as the man shielded him from whatever was happening. Shattering glass, screaming, a massive sound of something falling. The ground below them was shaking, sending the pair crashing against the monitor.

When it finally stopped, Ray realized that he was whimpering and clenching onto the Doctor’s sweatshirt. He blushed slightly, forcing himself to be quiet and forcing his hands to relax, surprised when he was unable to pull away. “Uh, Doctor?” He asked quietly, hearing the taller man gasp in a breath. The arms around him finally let go, the man stepping back slightly and looking around.

“Ray?”

“Yeah?”

“Run.” The hand closed on his again, the Doctor pulling him along at a sprint. Ray glanced over his shoulder, seeing the wall they had fallen into tumble down right where they had been standing. He followed the Doctor out of the wreckage, falling onto a bench and breathing heavily when they finally stopped. He was overcome with trembling, pulling his knees up and hugging them to try to control himself.

“Hey… hey, no, it’s alright…” The Doctor sat down next to him, rubbing his back lightly. “It’s gonna be alright, Ray. We’ll figure this out.”

“Christ… Christ, what happened in there?” He muttered, shaking his head and leaning into the Doctor. “What is going on?”

“I… I really don’t know.” The Doctor sighed, running the hand not currently rubbing Ray’s back through his dark hair, sending it into further disarray. “There’s no reason for the Carpathos to attack, though. This is completely unprovoked and completely unlike them.”

Ray had his breathing under control, the trembling slowly stopping. He looked up, eyes wide as he took in the wreckage of the building they’d just been standing in. “If it’s not like them, maybe it’s not them?” He offered, knowing the idea was stupid but wanting to try to contribute something.

The Doctor’s hand froze on his back, his eyes widening. “Not them… Ray, you—oh, you’re brilliant, I could kiss you!” He exclaimed, getting excitedly to his feet.

“I wouldn’t mind.” Ray muttered, blushing fiercely. The Doctor didn’t seem to hear him, however, focused on whatever idea he’d had.

“I need to see the original message and this one and compare them. If I’m right… oh, I think I’m right. Brilliant, Ray, brilliant!” His hand grabbed Ray’s again, pulling him along at another run. “Carpathos wouldn’t attack, no, but they _would_ visit! They’d visit and they’d know an awful lot about you humans, they’ve been watching you for a while, just haven’t wanted to reach out until the right time! But see, the Carpathos have an enemy, the Mgheni, they’ve been at war with them for centuries. Equally matched. If the Carpathos decided to contact Earth and the Mgheni intercepted their plans, their knowledge… Oh, Ray, you’re so brilliant!” The Doctor pulled him closer, squeezing his hand again. Ray couldn’t respond, breath screaming in and out of him as he ran to keep up.

“Burnie!” The Doctor shouted now, waving his free arm. “Burnie, I need a favor!”

“Not now, Doctor.” Burnie waved him away, his attention on the phone pressed to his ear. “Yes, sir, we’re checking for survivors now.” He listened, shoulders slumping. “Sir, I understand that they attacked, but the Doctor says we—“

The Doctor plucked the phone from Burnie’s fingers, pressing it to his. “Hi, who’s this?” He listened, grinning wide. “I’m the Doctor, General Hullum, and you’ll listen closely. You will _not_ declare war on the Carpathos, none of you will. The Carpathos did not attack you. Now I need you to send a copy of the original message you received and a copy of the one that was transmitted just before this most recent attack to Burnie, right away.” He spoke with authority, Ray noticed, a voice that demanded to be obeyed. “I’m telling you, the Carpathos did not attack you. Someone else did. And I can prove it.”

He hung up the phone, handing it back to Burnie and grinning. “It’s just like you said, Ray. It’s not them.”

Ray flushed, shaking his head. “I didn’t say anything important, you came up with the answer.”

“Nonsense. Don’t sell yourself short.” The Doctor grinned, slipping his arm around his shoulders. “Burnie, let me know when you get the footage.”

“Will do. But if the Carpathos didn’t attack us, who did, Doctor?”

“The Mgheni. They’ve been at war with the Carpathos. They found out the Carpathos were going to contact Earth, intercepted their contact cruiser, and attacked.”

“And then we declare war on the Carpathos, they come to fight us, and they have a war on two fronts!” Ray cut in, nodding excitedly. “That’s it, isn’t it, Doctor?”

The Doctor paused, his eyes widening. “Ray, you really are brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I might even call you clever, you keep this up.”

Ray shrugged, kicking the ground lightly. “There was, uh, a similar plot in a video game I played recently.”

“Still brilliant. Remember what I said about selling yourself short?” Burnie looked up, handing his PDA to the Doctor without a word. Ray watched the screen as the messages played, frowning a little.

“The voice changes completely…” He mumbled, jumping when the Doctor gave another whoop beside him.

“Exactly! The first message is distinctly Carpathos, the second is completely Mgheni!” Ray frowned, wondering how the Doctor could tell that. The accents sounded the same, it was only the tone of voice—the first friendly and open, the second gruff and angry—that changed. “Oh, they think they’re so clever, using humans in their games. Burnie!” He called, waving the man over. “Get that general on the phone again. I have a message for him to convey.”

“You’re going to tell them to declare war on the Mgheni?” Ray questioned while Burnie dialed, looking up at the Doctor. He blinked, surprised by the fierce frown on the Doctor’s face.

“Not at all. That would be a bloodbath. I’m going to tell the general to send a message into space, informing the Carpathos what has happened. Then I’m going to go to the Mgheni ship and tell them to leave before the Carpathos reinforcements arrive. They won’t be too far away.” He shrugged, taking the phone when Burnie handed it to him, conveying the message.

Ray frowned when the Doctor hung up, looking around. “But they killed so many people… why let them go?”

“I don’t believe in slaughter.” The Doctor looked serious for a moment, squinting up at the sky. Then he turned back to Ray, smiling widely. “Want to come with me to the ship?”

“I… wouldn’t that be bad? I mean what if I can’t breathe or—“

“You’ll be fine. I promise.” The Doctor released his hand, turning away and beginning to stroll towards the barricades. “But only if you want to come.”

Ray followed him.

They stopped outside a small blue box, the Doctor producing a key from his pocket while Ray stared at it. “This is it? It’s a phone booth, how is it supposed to get us onto an alien ship?”

“It’s a TARDIS. It just looks like a police box. It’s a British thing.” The Doctor explained, unlocking the door. “Go on inside.” He offered, stepping back.

Ray let himself in, gasping and quickly stepping out again. He walked around the box, frowning and stepping into the door again. “Alright, this is freaky.”

“Bigger on the inside. Relativity and stuff. Little bit weird, I’ll admit.” The Doctor followed him in, shutting the door and stepping up to a complex looking control panel. “Ready to go meet some aliens?”

“I’ve already met one today…” Ray muttered, running his hands lightly over the railings.

“Touché.” The Doctor smiled, flipping a switch. “Hang on tight.”

The ground shifted beneath his feet, Ray grabbing the railing to keep from being tossed to the floor. He held on as they were bounced the jostled around, almost falling again as they came to a sudden stop. The Doctor stepped over, offering his hand and smiling slightly. “Are you ready, Ray?”

Taking the Doctor’s hand, Ray swallowed hard before nodding. “As I’ll ever be.”

They stepped out of the TARDIS together, coming face to face with a number of imposingly-armored creatures pointing guns at them. The Doctor raised his hands, Ray following suit, declaring in a strong voice. “I’m the Doctor and this is Ray. You’ll take us to your leader.”

The creatures surrounding them slowly lowered their weapons, gesturing the pair along a hallway. Lowering their hands, the two followed the path, the Doctor slightly in the lead. “Mgheni,” he explained in a low voice, “are heavily armored because they have really vulnerable bodies—sort of like a crab. They use cybernetics to increase the strength and mobility of their armor, though. Sort of like a futuristic crab.”

When the Mgheni stopped pointing them along, the Doctor released Ray’s hand, stepping forward and clasping his hands behind his back. “Hello, I’m the Doctor. This is Ray. You’re the leader of this ship?” He asked, smiling widely.

“I am. Why does a Time Lord interfere with us?” The voice that had sent the second message responded, though without the anger that had been in the message.

“Well, you’re making the whole event of human contact with another planet weird, is all. It’s not supposed to go this way. How’d you get out this far, anyways? The Mgheni and Carpathos war never ventured beyond Tansafran.” The Doctor frowned, looking around the ship. “So many weird things today, huh?”

“How we get here is irrelevant, Doctor. We are here, and we intend to force the Carpathos into a two front war.”

“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. See, you’ve underestimated humans, and just how brilliant they can be. Like Ray, here. He figured out that, hey, if the Carpathos are acting weird, maybe it’s because they’re not the Carpathos. He figured out that if the Mgheni were posing as the Carpathos, attacking Earth to make the humans declare war on the Carpathos, it’d put them in a two front war.” The Doctor held up a finger, grinning. “And he figured out that if all of those were true, then all it would take to fix the situation would be for one very clever man to wire a return transmission to all Carpathos ships explaining that the Megheni had captured one of their peaceful contact ships, outfitted it with lasers, and attacked a planet the Carpathos were attempting to make an alliance with. Because you see… Ray’s brilliant, and I’m clever.” The Doctor smiled widely as screens around him lit up suddenly, a number of imposing-looking figures on them.

“This is a message to all Carpathos ships,” the man in the center of the table started, looking directly at the camera. “Humankind is happy to accept peace with you and we welcome you to come peacefully to Earth. As agreed, we will greet you unarmed and you will arrive unarmed. It seemed that this agreement was broken today, the ship that arrived in our skies attacking, killing innocent people. We now have understanding that this brutal attack was not from a Carpathos ship, but rather the work of the Mgheni, using a stolen Carpathos ship. It would seem their intent was to incite conflict between humanity and Carpathos, but we will not be so easily baited into a war. We offer peace to Carpathos and the invitation to come to our planet unarmed as was agreed and discuss an alliance. I feel we have much to learn from each other.” The message cut off, the ship almost immediately filling with shrieks of anger from the Mgheni on board.

“Now, now, stop that!” The Doctor called, reaching back and taking Ray’s hand, squeezing lightly. “I’ve come to give you all the opportunity to run. The Carpathos won’t have armed ships too close by, you have the opportunity to leave this place and save the fight for another day, in another sky. I suggest you take it.” He turned to Ray, smiling a little. “We’ll be on our way now.”

Around them was silence, the Doctor and Ray beginning the walk back to the TARDIS. They rounded a corner, the shout following them down the hall. “Kill them!”

“Run!” The Doctor called, pulling Ray along with him, back towards where the TARDIS had landed. Ray stumbled along, the two of them falling inside and slamming the door, several heavy _thuds_ resounding mere moments behind them. “Well, we should be going. They’re wasting time trying to kill us and we won’t want to be in the middle of it when the Carpathos arrive.” The Doctor hurried to the controls, grinning. “Hang on tight, Ray.”

The ride was somewhat smoother this time, the pair stepping out into the park moments later. Ray looked around, frowning slightly. “This isn’t where we were before.” He noted, turning back towards the Doctor.

“Yeah, she’s not always precise, the poor girl. Central Park, though, should be easy to find your way home, right?”

“Yeah, I know how to get home from here. But what about the aliens?”

The Doctor shrugged. “The Mgheni act tough, but they’re still rather cowardly. They’ll be leaving any moment now. Between a lack of report from the contact ship and the message sent by the General, the Carpathos will realize what’s happened. They’ll send another contact ship and things will be as they should. Little weirder than what was planned, but not too bad.” He leaned on the TARDIS, looking Ray up and down. “You really are brilliant, Ray. I wasn’t lying.”

“I didn’t do much… You gave me way too much credit up there.” Ray flushed, rubbing the back of his head lightly.

“Cute.” The Doctor noted, smiling and pulling his hands from the pocket of his hoodie. “Do you want to come with me?” He offered suddenly, holding his hand out. “All of time and space at our disposal. Lots of running, too.”

“Is it always like this? Aliens and fighting?”

The Doctor frowned just a little, shrugging. “It doesn’t have to be, but… I find a lot of trouble. I’ll keep you safe, though, Ray. Promise. Come with me?”

“I…” Ray hesitated, looking around. “Why me, though? I’m still no one special…” He took a small step forward, lifting his hand and setting it in the Doctor’s.

“Oh, sure you are. Maybe you just don’t know it yet.”

Still, he hesitated to fully grasp the other man’s hand, looking at the ground. “I should probably stay here and figure it out, then.” He tried to ignore the hurt look in the Doctor’s eyes, offering a tentative smile. “Maybe once I’m convinced I’m special enough, I’ll go with you, hm?”

“No telling when I might be back, though. You might spend your whole life waiting for me and I’ll never come.” The Doctor frowned, lowering his hand.

“Well… Maybe that’s what makes me special, hm? Knowing just how the Doctor saved the day.” Ray flushed, looking away. “Wow, that was a lot lamer than I meant it to be.”

“Did you mean it?” The Doctor asked suddenly, standing up straight.

“Mean what?”

“That you wouldn’t mind me kissing you.” Ray felt his entire face heat up, his eyes darting to the ground again. Cool hands settled on his cheeks, gently tilting his head up. “That looks like a yes…”

“W-well, if you wanted to…”And suddenly the Doctor was only a breath away, lips hovering just over his own.

“I want to.” He whispered, pressing a light kiss to Ray’s mouth, a chaste contact of lips. Ray felt his breath leave, his eyes slipping closed as he leaned into the contact just slightly, hands clenching in the Doctor’s sweatshirt. All too soon the taller man pulled away, gently disengaging Ray’s hands from his clothes, holding them tightly. “I can’t promise I’ll come back, you know.”

“It’s alright…” Ray felt his hands being released, tried not to be too disappointed. “I’ll have something to remember you by, after all.”

The Doctor nodded, stepping back into his TARDIS. Ray watched, one hand pressed lightly to his lips, as the machine slowly faded away, accompanied by a cyclic whirring sound.

He turned around, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans and starting to walk away. The cyclic whirring around came again as he reached pavement, making him look over his shoulder.

The TARDIS was fading back into place and Ray whirled, sprinting back towards it as the door opened. The Doctor stepped out, pulling his hooded sweatshirt over his head, revealing a surprisingly muscular body hidden only by a tight t-shirt under it. He smiled widely, holding the hoodie out to Ray. “Here. Something to remember me by.”

Ray let his eyes run up and down the other man’s form, a grin on his face. “You shouldn’t hide all that under a hoodie, man.” He flushed immediately, surprised the words had left his mouth.

“Cute. Now take the damn sweatshirt.” Ray took the hoodie, waiting until the door to the TARDIS was closed to hold it to his face and breathe deep. It smelled like mild cologne and soap and light sweat. It smelled like adventure and running and safety.

It smelled like the Doctor, a smell Ray never wanted to forget.


	2. Space and Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years after a fateful summer afternoon in Manhattan, Ray encountered the stranger in the blue box again.

People move on.

Even when an event seems like it should be utterly life-changing, people move on.

For Ray Narvaez Jr, the weeks following his adventure in preventing an alien invasion with the man in the strange blue box known only as The Doctor passed with the swimming quality of time in dreams. He went home and fell asleep, arms around the hooded sweatshirt he’d been gifted. When he awoke he had an angry voicemail from his boss at the game store—if he wasn’t going to show up or even call for two shifts in a row, they were going to find someone new to do his job. He drifted through the days lazily, collecting unemployment checks and waiting for life to become interesting again. No one he talked to believed that he was at the epicenter of what the media called the Contact Event, so he soon stopped sharing information.

With winter came higher bills and a need for an income besides his unemployment checks; he found part time work loading package delivery trucks during the holiday season, but was not asked to come on full time after the holidays were over. Time drifted by while Ray seemed to remain stationary, his eyes often turning upwards, squinting to see the stars through the city lights. He sometimes wondered where the Doctor was, if he was running through cities holding someone else’s hand, saving lives somewhere else on Earth—or on an entirely different planet. As winter warmed into spring, the thoughts became less frequent, the starward glances more habit than interest.

His luck turned at about the same time that the last major snow storm struck the east coast, a job opportunity in Austin, Texas, working with video games in a much more professional capacity than as a clerk in a store. He accepted, wrapped up the lease on his apartment, and moved down south just in time for the summer sun to bake his skin and leave him hiding indoors. It wasn’t very different from New York, in that respect, but the work was enjoyable, the co-workers were friendly, and his looks to the stars almost completely evaporated.

Even in Texas, the weather turned chilly during the winter, and Ray hauled the oversized hooded sweatshirt from the depths of his closet, pulling it on over his head and inhaling the scent that still lingered on it, remembering a hand tightly grasping his and a mile-a-minute voice telling him that he was brilliant. He smiled, sending a wistful glance towards the mirror. Where would he be, right now, if he’d accepted the man’s offer to travel with him? If instead of a short kiss and a farewell, he’d abandoned his life and taken the step into that enigmatic blue box?

It was probably better not to wonder about it too much. What was done was done. He doubted The Doctor even remembered him; it’d been a year.

–

April of 2016, the sun shining down on him, the workload ramping up with summer releases being announced left and right, and a plane ticket to Boston with his name on it. Things couldn’t have been going better, Ray decided, locking the front door of his apartment and heading down the stairs. He had two work days left and then a weekend at a convention, followed by three days of personal vacation back in New York.

There was nothing that could make his life more perfect.

Nothing that was missing.

Nothing that tugged lightly at his heart when he stepped briefly into the street to avoid the obstruction on the sidewalk—the city really should tear that thing down or at least move it back, he noted as always—and continued on his short walk to the office.

He stopped.

He turned back.

The obstruction on the sidewalk.

The sidewalk wasn’t obstructed. Not on normal days during his normal walk.

Ray took a step towards the large blue box that blocked the sidewalk, frowning. Bright blue, the lettering on the side declaring it a Police Call Box, whatever that meant.

He suddenly wanted to run. To have someone’s hand held tightly in his, sneakers pounding the pavement as they fled from—fled to?—an oncoming disaster.

The door of the box opened and a man stepped out, a tall man with messy dark hair and tired eyes. A man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and khaki cargo shorts, his hands finding a place in the pocket of his sweatshirt.

A man that looked directly at Ray with widening eyes and a sudden grin.

Ray ran.

He ran the three steps forward and flung himself into the man’s arms, wrapping his arms tight around his neck. “Doctor!” He exclaimed, feeling arms go around his waist, feeling himself be pulled closer. He held on tight, heart pounding, almost afraid that if he let go the Doctor would disappear again. Almost afraid that this was only a dream, something he’d forget as soon as he opened his eyes.

Slowly his feet settled on the ground again, flat on the pavement. Slowly he pulled himself away, looking into the man’s dark eyes. Every glance he’d ever taken to the stars suddenly seemed pale and insignificant, no more interesting than looking at a blank paper, compared to the Doctor’s eyes. Ray swallowed.

The Doctor leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together, and kissed him. A slow, gentle meeting of lips, almost hesitant, almost asking for permission to continue.

Ray kissed back.

When they pulled away he pressed his forehead to the Doctor’s shoulder, inhaling the smell of him, overwhelmed by it. The hoodie in his closest still smelled vaguely of good cologne, of adventure and danger and running and the safe warmth of a hand tightly holding his. It didn’t hold a candle to what he was breathing in now.

“I’ve missed you… I’ve missed you so much…” He heard himself muttering, hands clenching and unclenching on the back of the other man’s sweatshirt. “I should have gone with you.”

“You weren’t ready, Ray.” The Doctor spoke for the first time since they’d seen each other again, one hand lifting, stroking through the young man’s hair. “It’s alright, though. How long has it been? What year is it?”

Ray sniffed in the tears that wanted to come to his eyes, standing up straight and smiling. “April of 2016. It’s been, uh… just under three years.”

“Three years…” Pain in the Doctor’s eyes, there and gone in a flash. He pulled Ray in again, kissing his forehead. “What have you been doing? Tell me everything. This isn’t New York, right?”

So Ray told him everything, standing on the sidewalk next to the obstruction that was always there, but had never been there before. He should have cared about being late for work, or risking sunburn, or anything, but none of that seemed to matter. Not compared to finally seeing the Doctor again, to finally hear his voice again, muttering quiet comments about the changes in Ray’s life since that summer day.

“And, uh… here I am.” He finished, smiling widely. “What have you been doing?”

“Oh, not much. I spent most of the past week in Rome.” The Doctor shrugged noncommittally, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“And before that?”

“New York City with you.”

“That doesn’t make any sense! It’s been three years, surely you’ve done more than just—“

“Three years for you.” The Doctor smiled, jerking his thumb towards the blue box. “T.A.R.D.I.S. Time and Relative Dimension in Space. She travels through time and space, Ray. A week ago I was in New York with you, yesterday I was wining and dining with Julius Caesar.”

“It travels through _time_?!” Ray gasped, gawping at the box.

“Of course.”

“Why didn’t you _tell_ me that?!”

“Didn’t seem important.” The Doctor opened the door, offering his hand to Ray. “Want to take a quick trip?”

“I don’t know, I should probably get to work…” Looking over his shoulder reluctantly, even as he reached for the Doctor’s hand.

“Ray, it’s a time machine. We can be back before we even left as long as we’re careful about it.” The Doctor rolled his eyes, taking his hand and pulling him inside. “Come on, where to? Anywhere you want in the whole wide universe—the beginning, the middle, the end! All at our disposal!”

He frowned, following the Doctor up to the console as the door swung shut, considering it. “Doctor…” Ray took a seat, dropping his backpack to the floor slowly. “Will you take me to… to your favorite time and place?”

Ray wasn’t aware of the way the Doctor’s shoulders tensed, wasn’t aware of the look on his face—how could he be, when the man had his back turned? But he noticed the pause, the pause that seemed just a bit too tense to be mere thought. “Sure…” The Doctor said softly, nodding. “Of course I will.” He flipped a switch, spinning around abruptly with a wide grin. “Care to guess when and were?”

The Puerto Rican only shook his head. “I couldn’t begin to.”

“Then you’re in for a real treat.”

–

“Wow.”

Ray spoke in a hushed tone, his eyes wide as he stood in the doorway of the T.A.R.D.I.S. The Doctor stood behind him, hands once again in the pocket of his hoodie, a smile on his face.

“You like it?”

“Where are we?” It was like his voice wouldn’t go over a whisper; almost as if he were afraid to speak too loudly and shatter the moment they’d stepped into.

“It’s no fun if I just tell you. Come on, Ray, you’re the brilliant one here, look around and find out.” The Doctor’s voice was teasing, but his hand snaked out of his pocket, tightly clasping onto Ray’s own. He pulled the hesitating man away from the T.A.R.D.I.S., along the crowded streets they’d landed in the midst of. Ray’s eyes were trying to be everywhere at once, taking in everything around him. He craned his neck back, looking up and up, towards the towering skyscrapers overhead.

“It looks like New York… sort of… Some things are different, though.” He noted, hand tightening in the Doctor’s. “Like, the buildings don’t have graffiti all over them and—holy shit, is that a cable car?!” He pointed with his free hand, frowning slightly.

“So it looks like New York, but it looks different. What else is different?”

Ray looked around, gasping suddenly. “Everyone’s dressed, like… not like bums! Well, most everyone. Actually, there are still a lot of bums. It’s gotta be New York, then, but why are all the girls in dresses and all the guys in suits and stuff?”

“Well…” The Doctor rocked back on his heels, smiling broadly. “Why would the clothes be different? Why would there be different buildings, newer-looking buildings, some missing? Why would there be an operational cable car, when those all shut down by the mid-1940s?”

“We’re back in time…” The younger man whispered, looking up towards the Doctor. “That’s it, right? We’re back in, like… the 20s or something.”

The Doctor clapped briefly, nodding. “Exactly right you are! New York City, April of 1921. A time where people think everything is booming and they step right over the bums on the streets. Everyone has money except those that don’t; everyone is secure except those that aren’t. Nothing can go wrong: the War to End All Wars is over, the world is at peace, and returning GIs are screwing like rabbits.”

“This is really your favorite? Out of everything?” Ray whispered, scooting just a bit closer to the taller man as a rush of people passed by them.

“Oh, definitely. I love stuff like this—it’s extravagant, it’s out there, it’s people living life to the fullest!” He grinned, leading Ray down the street. “Come on, we’ve got plenty to see in this city and all the time in the world to see it.”

“Won’t people think we look… I dunno, out of place?” Ray followed after him, his dark eyes still trying to be everywhere at once, trying to take in the city he lived in—the city he would live in, some eighty years in the future.

“People are surprisingly unobservant. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

Without another comment on it, they were off into the city, seeing sights that, as a resident, Ray had never taken in. It was nearing sunset when the Doctor released his hand, instead wrapping an arm over his shoulders. “Guess April in New York is a bit colder than April in Texas, hm?” He asked, pulling the younger man in closer.

“A little.” Ray agreed, rubbing his bare arms before leaning into the Doctor. “We should head inside somewhere.”

“We could see a show. The theater district is pretty great about now—not quite edged out by movies and walking that fine line between taking itself too seriously and taking itself too lightly. Plus, it’ll be warm in there.” He was already steering the way towards a theater, through a group of people dressed fairly casually milling about on the sidewalk outside.

“What are we going to see?”

“Not sure, but I bet it’ll be good. And even if it’s not, it’s inside out of the wind, right?” As if on cue, a strong breeze rifled through the street, causing gasps from some of the people around them and making Ray’s teeth chatter.

“Can’t argue with you.” The Puerto Rican agreed, following the Doctor into the theater and finding a seat. He leaned his head on the other man’s shoulder, once again grasping onto his hand. “And here I thought it was all adventure and running with you.”

“Normally adventure. Running… sometimes it’s optional.” A small laugh from the older man, his thumb running over his companion’s knuckles. “This is nice, though. Something relaxing. It’s sort of a… rare occurrence with me.”

They settled into quiet as the show started, taking in the performance and each other’s company. Ray found himself looking at the Doctor rather than the show, trying to determine if this was real or if he’d somehow hit his head and was in the middle of some sort of weird dream. How could the man that had been right beside him on the best day of his life just reappear, almost three years later, acting like almost no time had passed? How could he have just dropped his life completely for this man, no second thoughts about work or friends or anything else? Why was it so comfortable to hold his hand, walk around a city in a time before he was even born, and chat with him about everything and nothing? He didn’t understand it, couldn’t comprehend it in the least. And if he was being honest, Ray didn’t mind.

Maybe he shouldn’t have been so eager to run away with a near-stranger, travel into the past and potentially among the stars… but at the same time, how could he refuse? Who in their right mind would turn down an opportunity like that twice?

He was drawn out of his thoughts as the curtains closed and the lights came up, blinking and looking towards the stage. “Over already?” Ray wondered, watching people around him stand and begin to move from the theater, though most left their coats on the seats.

“Just Intermission.” The Doctor informed him, standing and stretching out, offering his hand. “Want to take a tour of the in-house museum? It might be interesting.”

Ray nodded, following the Doctor out of the theater, down a short hallway towards the back of the building. He glanced around as the Doctor pushed a door open, one eyebrow lifting as he passed him. “So when you say ‘museum’ do you mean ‘backstage area where we’re not allowed’?” He questioned, smiling wryly.

“How could you ever accuse me of such a thing? The door wasn’t even locked with an anti-Sonic mechanism!” The Doctor let out a huff, crossing his arms and jutting his lower lip out in an exaggerated pout.

“Ah, then clearly it’s allowed.” Ray snickered, leaning up slightly and pressing a quick kiss to the taller man’s cheek. “Well, since we’re already here…”

They wandered among the assorted items, looking over old props, set-pieces, and racks of costumes. Ray soon found himself along among a wide display of fairly large, free-standing props, lamps and furniture near the front, things becoming more unusual the further back he wandered. He skimmed his finger along the fine layer of dust on top of a box labeled ‘flags’ and then over another, thicker layer of dust on a box labeled ‘old flags,’ snickering slightly. Soon he was among assorted street props, garbage cans and plaster lamp posts leaning against painted plywood building fronts. Spotting a small gap between two of the false buildings, Ray slipped between them, steps stumbling as his foot snagged on something on the floor. He caught himself on something metallic and rather solid, hissing as a strange heat seared across his palms.

“The fuck…” The dark-haired man muttered, righting himself and frowning. There was now a light shining directly in front of him, a faint glow in the darkness of the space behind the set pieces. As he watched, it began to glow brighter, suddenly flaring to brilliant life. “Uh, Doctor?”

 **“Exterminate.”** A robotic monotone spoke in front of him, the light swinging in an arc towards him.

“Ray, duck!” The Doctor called from somewhere off to his left.

Without a second thought, he dropped to the floor, just as a bright flash left the light in front of him. The set piece he had been standing in front of burst into sparks and short-lived flame, the acrid smell of smoke filling his nostrils.

“Run!” He heard the command called and scrambled to his feet, stumbling to the floor again a moment later as he tripped over some of the miscellanea in the dark backstage area. Pushing himself to hands and knees, Ray froze as he heard something move behind him.

**“You will be exterminated.”**

He was frozen, every muscle locked into place, eyes not even blinking. Ray could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears, pumping adrenaline from his brain to his muscles, trying to get them to respond. _Run, run, **run!**_ He thought, desperately trying to get his body to respond as the light swung across the wall just above his field of vision.

A hand closed on his upper arm, yanking him forward and he unlocked. Stumbling slightly, Ray found his feet, the world illuminated in a lightning-flash of destruction as the thing fired again, creating another smoky hole in the wall. The hand that had pulled him up closed over his, leading him through the crowded shadows.

Setpieces crashed to the ground behind them as the thing pursued them, still extoling its robotic cry: **“Exterminate, exterminate, exterminate.”**

“Door!” The Doctor called, making a sharp right, Ray nearly crashing into a wall (real or fake he didn’t have time to determine) as he was pulled along. They fell through the opening, the Puerto Rican yanking it shut behind himself, unsurprised to hear the familiar whine of the Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver accompanied by the faint glow.

“So… running…” He panted out, heaving to catch his breath as the Doctor began to look around the room, one hand running through dark hair and sending it into disarray. “Looks like we’re doing that today. What was that thing?”

“An impossibility. What happened?” The Doctor stood before him, frowning towards the door. “Explain fast, it’s going to be through the lock soon.”

As if to emphasize his words, something heavy crashed into the wall. Ray swallowed. “I was looking behind some fake walls and I tripped. Caught myself on that thing and suddenly it’s lighting up and shooting at me. What _is_ it?”

Silence reigned in the room for a beat, before the thing crashed against the wall again. At the same moment, the Doctor clapped his hands together. “Revitalized by the touch of a time traveler. How long has it been staying here that it needed _that_ to come back to full power?” He turned to Ray, face unreadable. “It’s a Dalek, Ray, and it’s going to kill us and everyone on this planet if we don’t dispose of it very, very carefully.”

“Not as friendly as the Carpathos, then?”

“Not even close.” Another resounding crash occurred against the wall, chunks of brick falling away. The Doctor looked him over, grinning widely and abruptly. “Time to run.”

They fled through the backstage of the theater, hands locked together, Ray not daring a backwards glance. The Doctor apparently chanced one, however, as he suddenly shouted for Ray to duck, pulling him to the ground as a shot flew over their heads. They scrambled back to their feet, the younger man pulling the Doctor into an open doorway to the right, barely daring to breathe as the Dalek passed their hiding place.

Ray sighed out a breath, pressing his forehead to the Doctor’s chest and closing his eyes. “Jesus…”

“Nice fellow, but I don’t think he’s going to be able to help us out right now.” The Doctor murmured, running a hand down Ray’s back. “Think, think, think, you’re brilliant and I’m clever. We should be able to do this.”

“Why not just talk to it, like the Mgheni? That got them to leave pretty quickly.”

“No, a Dalek isn’t like Mgheni. It doesn’t understand reason, or pleading, or… or anything but what it’s been instructed to do. It will kill, and kill, and kill, until there’s nothing left. That’s why I had to—no, never mind that. We need to do something that I hate doing, something that I try to avoid doing whenever I can.” The Doctor sighed, his arms tightening momentarily around Ray. “We need to kill it.”

Ray looked up, frowning slightly. “Alright… if you say we need to, how do we do it?”

“Well, first we—“ The Doctor was interrupted by a sudden crash, a brilliant light sweeping into their hiding spot. “Run!” He shouted, taking his own advice immediately, giving Ray a slight push in the opposite direction.

He ran, aware too late that he was now alone in the twisting maze of corridors behind the stage, unsure where the Doctor was, pursued by a thing that only wanted to see him dead.

 _Some date…_ The dark-haired man thought, shaking his head and ducking into another alcove to catch his breath. He only hoped the Doctor was hiding from their pursuer as successfully as he was.

–

“Hah! Come and get me, then!” The Doctor yelled, locking the high-pitched noise of panic into his throat as the Dalek did just that, firing at him again. He ducked around the corner, running through racks and racks of elaborate costumes, diving sideways into one of the racks as another shot flew past him. He tumbled out of the mess of fabric and stood up, looking himself over in the mirror mounted to the wall at the end of the row.

“Not bad, but not really my style…” He said, shrugging out of the clothing that had wrapped around him, running again as the robotic voice repeated its cry of **‘Exterminate’**. “Oh, can’t you think of anything better to say?!”

**“Exterminate the Doctor.”**

“That’s not better!”

He had to think, of course, which was incredibly difficult while being pursued by something as relentless as a Dalek. Still, better him than Ray, he wouldn’t want to subject the young man to such a risky situation. This was supposed to be a pleasant afternoon together, not some life-threatening chase through the bowels of a theater. “Then again, when’s the last time I went anywhere _without_ a disaster showing up?” He muttered, grabbing onto a protruding pipe and swinging himself around a corner. The pipe exploded seconds after his hand left it, steam hissing out, immediately turning the corridor humid, obscuring what little light was down there with fog.

More running footsteps ahead, through the mist. The Doctor reached out blindly, snagging the arm of whoever was running past him. “Not that way!”

“Doctor!” Ray’s voice at his side, a hand settling firmly into his, footsteps falling into pace. “What are we supposed to do? We can’t just run down here forever.”

He needed time to think, that was the problem. Time to come up with a plan, a clever idea that would, if nothing else, move the Dalek off of Earth. There was no time, however, for anything but running away, dodging shots that would turn them into dust.

“You’re sure there’s absolutely no way to reason with it?” Ray gasped out as they turned another corner, the pair pausing to catch their breath. “Nothing that could be said or done to convince it to just… leave?”

“I’ve only seen something like that happen once before and that was—“ The Doctor froze, abruptly pulling Ray closer, kissing both of his cheeks. “Oh, you _are_ brilliant and I’m just clever enough to pull this off.”

“You really need to work on explaining yourself better.” Ray noted, wishing his cheeks weren’t so suddenly warm just from the brief kisses. Though he was suddenly grateful for the darkness hiding his blush.

“That’d ruin the surprise. Come on.” The Doctor squeezed his hand, leading him back the way they had come—towards the Dalek. “Dalek! Come on out, trashbin! You worthless heap of junk, quit hiding like a coward!”

“Are you crazy?!” Ray hissed, tugging the Doctor’s arm. “Why are you trying to provoke a thing that wants to kill us?!”

 **“Exterminate!”** A voice called nearby—far too close for Ray’s comfort. He swallowed, taking an involuntary step behind the Doctor as the alien entered the dim, steamy hallway.

“Yeah, yeah, exterminate, exterminate. Except I bet you can’t. You’ve had plenty of opportunities to kill us, but you’ve somehow ‘missed’ every time, isn’t that true?” The Doctor demanded, pointing at the Dalek.

The light swung towards them and Ray winced, hand tightening convulsively on the Doctor’s.

 **“Exterminate!”** Another shot fired, the younger man ducking while the Doctor stood his ground. The blast passed over his head, hitting the ceiling and sending a rain of sparks behind them.

“See, now, you can’t do it. And do you want to know why, Dalek?” The Doctor slowly pulled Ray to his feet, squeezing his hand back just as tightly. “Do you want to know why the last of the Daleks is a failure?”

 **“I am not the last of the Daleks!”** The robotic voice retorted, firing again, the shot going far to the left.

“Oh, but you are. I killed all the rest of your kind. You’re the only one left… and you’re impure. Corrupted. It’s obvious, because you can’t kill us. You are nothing but a broken down old junk heap.” The Doctor laughed slightly, releasing Ray’s hand and instead holding his arm, lifting it. “You’ve taken in time traveler DNA to restore yourself, but you also picked up something extra. Check for yourself, you know it’s true. The only living Dalek left in the entire universe and you’re broken. I don’t think you can even call yourself a Dalek, anymore.”

**“You lie!”**

“I tell the truth and you know it! You’ve called out to your fellows and returned only silence, because _there are no other Daleks_!” The Doctor laughed again, eyes flashing with joy. “You’ve been unable to harm even me, the Time Lord, the sworn enemy of all things Dalek, because you’re no longer a Dalek! You’re just a _useless thing_ now, corrupted with human DNA. With human emotion. How does it feel, I wonder, to have _that_ in you? If there were others, what would they possibly say? Oh, I can guess! They would take one look at you and they would say…” The Doctor lowered his voice, taking on a mockery of the Dalek’s robotic monotone. “ **’Exterminate!’** ”

“Doctor…” Ray whispered, forcing his arm down, looking between the man next to him and the machine a short distance down the hallway. “What are you doing?”

 **“I am the last Dalek…”** The voice spoke, the words coming slowly, quieter than before. **“I am the last Dalek… and I am impure. I must… Exterminate… The impure…”**

“Well, now I’m running. I suggest you do the same.” A warm hand closed around Ray’s again, pulling him away from the hallway. They rounded a corner, a brilliant flash of light and the sound of an explosion behind them. The Doctor leaned on the wall, closing his eyes and breathing heavily. “It’s done. It’s gone.”

Ray pulled away slightly, frowning and looking back the way they had come. “What happened?”

“It’s a long story. Complicated. Don’t worry about it.”

“If I’m going to travel with you, you should _tell_ me these things! That thing, that Dalek, was the last of its kind and you just let it kill itself!”

The Doctor stood up straight, frowning, his eyes leaving Ray’s face. “The Daleks are better off dead and gone. I doubt that’s the last one, it never is, but if we’re incredibly lucky and that thing really _was_ the last of the Daleks, the universe is a better place without it. All they do is kill, they kill and kill and kill. They don’t know anything else. They kill everything that isn’t their idea of perfect, and that’s everything that isn’t them.” He paused, looking to Ray again, a slightly pleading tone to his voice. “They’re the reason that there are no other Time Lords, the reason that it’s just me and my T.A.R.D.I.S. out there in the whole wide universe… They’re the reason my race is dead, and I’ve sworn to do the same to them. Come on, I’ll take you home now.” The Doctor’s hand closed over his again, pulling him along.

Ray stayed rooted to the ground, his eyes on the Doctor’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know…” He let himself be led away after a moment, falling into step beside him.

They reached the T.A.R.D.I.S. without breaking their silence, stepping inside and shutting the door. “Austin, 2016, yes? April of 2016 in Austin, Texas.” He turned away from the younger man, facing the control console.

Arms wrapped around the Doctor’s midsection, holding tightly to him. “You don’t have to take me home yet.” Ray muttered, pressing his face into the taller man’s back. “If I’m still invited to… I’d like to stay with you.”

Unseen, the Doctor smiled slightly, his hand dropping, settling over the hands locked around his torso. “Where should we go, then? The future? Perhaps another planet? What would make a good second date?”

“Third date. We had lunch together at the U.N. during the invasion, remember?” Ray smiled widely, leaning up and pressing a kiss to the back of the Doctor’s neck. “Surprise me.” He whispered, closing his eyes.

The Doctor’s smile grew into a wide grin, as he spin a dial and pulled a level, the T.A.R.D.I.S. whooshing as it disappeared from New York City and departed to parts unknown. “Surprise me…” He repeated, closing his eyes as well, allowing the blue box to take him where he was needed. Undoubtedly it would be somewhere that there was adventure, and danger, and running.

And Ray would be right beside him for it all.


End file.
